The Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany, will host the Annual Conference of the Society for Tropical Ecology, focusing on the Islands in land- and seascape. The conference aims at maximizing interactions among scientists of all disciplines and backgrounds who are interested in tropical biogeography and biodiversity.

Ecosystem functions are endangered by the fragmentation of habitats and ecosystems around the tropics. Natural islands may serve as model ecosystems in terms of biogeographic patterns and processes in population dynamics and ecosystem functioning. Additional challenges for the development of successful mitigation and adaptation strategies are imposed by future climate change, land use changes and increasing pressure by growing local populations. The annual conference of the Society for Tropical Ecology (gtö) will provide an interdisciplinary platform to discuss these challanges, focusing on the following topics:

• Biogeographic patterns and ecological processes in naturally isolated tropical ecosystems (islands, high mountains)
• Processes and consequences of ecosystem fragmentation for biodiversity and ecosystem services
• Human ecology and management of fragmented tropical ecosystems